Sigfox finds a partner to expand its IoT network across the UK

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Sigfox is expanding its IoT network coverage in the UK from 30 percent of the population to 95 percent.

The company’s network already covers 30 percent of the UK population across 11 major cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Sheffield, thanks to a partnership with Arqiva since 2014.

Arqiva is what Sigfox calls a SO (Sigfox Operator) who are operators handling local distribution of the IoT network which is now present in more than 30 countries. Joining Arqiva in the UK to expand coverage to most of the rest of the population is WND-UK.

Both networks are fully interoperable for customers and will enable new applications

WND already has experience with Sigfox and has blanketed 70 percent of Latin America delivering connectivity in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and soon Argentina. The company believes it will reach its target of 95 percent of the UK population by 2019.

“The UK has an active, fast-growing Internet of Things market,” says Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Vice President Network and Business Development of Sigfox. “According to some forecasts, there will be 50 billion connected devices worldwide by 2020, but for this to become a reality, both cost and energy use will have to come down. That’s the solution Sigfox offers.”

The existing Sigfox network operated by Arqiva will continue to be maintained by the company and will coexist with WND-UK’s nationwide deployment. Both networks are fully interoperable for customers and will enable new applications in areas such as smart logistics, asset tracking, and facilities management.

“Sigfox’s rapid expansion in the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East demonstrates the universal appeal of its IoT network and ecosystem, which enable Sigfox Network Operators to very quickly provide their customers with low-cost, energy-efficient connectivity for an extensive range of applications,” says Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Sigfox executive vice-president networks & operators.

What are your thoughts on the expansion of Sigfox’s IoT network in the UK? Let us know in the comments.

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